MIT student stabbed outside Central Square

By Annabelle Boyd

David G. O'Dowd G was stabbed at approximately 10:45 pm last Thursday
night in Central Square near the intersection of Broadway and Prospect
Street.

Returning from a conference in New York City, O'Dowd had climbed out of
the Central Square subway stop and was walking along Prospect Street when
he encountered "two black men, both in their early twenties."

O'Dowd described one of the men as about 6'3" tall, and the other as
between 5'8" and 5'10". The two men were walking down Prospect Street
behind O'Dowd. When they maneuvered to pass O'Dowd on the sidewalk, the
tall man moved in front of him, and the short man filed behind him. At this
point, O'Dowd felt no apprehension about the situation.

However, when the shorter man passed O'Dowd, he reached out and stabbed
him in the stomach with a knife. The attack was so unexpected, it took
O'Dowd a few moments to realize that he had been stabbed.

"It was weird because after the guy stabbed me, they both kept right on
walking, like nothing had happened. They didn't laugh or yell or run or
anything," O'Dowd said.

Neither of the men attempted to rob O'Dowd or threatened him in anyway
after the knifing. O'Dowd suspected that he may have become their target
because he was still dressed "nicely" from his New York conference.

O'Dowd also suggested that the pair was "probably on some pretty serious
drugs at the time."

Shortly after the stabbing, a car pulled up to O'Dowd and the driver, who
had apparently witnessed the stabbing, asked him if he had been cut. O'Dowd
nodded, and the driver pulled back on the road, to notify the police,
leaving O'Dowd on the sidewalk.

O'Dowd managed to flag down another car. The driver took him to Cambridge
City Hospital, where he was treated for the wound which cut across his
stomach and over an inch into his colon.

O'Dowd filed a police report with the Cambridge Police Department and
looked at some mug shots, but so far no positive identification of his
assailants has emerged.

O'Dowd, who was released from the MIT Medical Center yesterday, said he
was "healing fast.".

"While Central Square is not known to be that safe a place, I'd never
really heard too much about Prospect Street being dangerous," O'Dowd said.
"I hope other people will be more careful in that area as a result of what
happened to me," he said.